St Catherine's Roman Catholic School

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School is providing a generally solid education, with notable strengths in early years education and personal development. Safeguarding standards are met, ensuring pupils feel safe and secure. However, while the foundation stage shows promise with effective early reading and phonics instruction, challenges remain in key stages 1 and 2, particularly regarding gaps in academic knowledge that leave many pupils unprepared for secondary school. Recent efforts to improve academic performance are underway but have not yet fully manifested in positive outcomes.

Strengths

• Strong early years education with a focus on communication and language.
• Clear prioritization of early reading and phonics leading to successful outcomes in Year 1.
• Well-considered personal development program fostering citizenship and community involvement.
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils promoting a supportive learning environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Significant gaps in knowledge for many pupils, particularly in key stage 2.
• High rates of absence and persistent absence impacting learning.
• Inconsistent effectiveness of support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Teachers lack expertise in implementing the curriculum to meet all pupils' needs.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Catherine's Roman Catholic School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.4% of pupils at St Catherine's Roman Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Catherine's Roman Catholic School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 29.0% of pupils at St Catherine's Roman Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Catherine's Roman Catholic School received £7,342 and spent £8,200 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £248,000 (-£2,102 per pupil).

Across all 34 schools of Plymouth Cast, income was £8,158 and spending £8,000 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School is part of Plymouth Cast, which runs 34 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Axminster Axminster
• St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester Dorchester
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Weymouth Weymouth
• St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Wareham
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull Sturminster Newton
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth Exmouth
• St Nicholas Catholic Primary School Exeter
• St John's Catholic Primary School Tiverton
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole Poole
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage Swanage

What is St Catherine's Roman Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Catherine's Roman Catholic School is Needs attention, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was St Catherine's Roman Catholic School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does St Catherine's Roman Catholic School have?

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School has 100 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Catherine's Roman Catholic School cover?

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are St Catherine's Roman Catholic School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 30% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Catherine's Roman Catholic School?

St Catherine's Roman Catholic School is at Pymore Road, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3TR.